Blazers Insider: The Book on Batum adds another chapter of inconsistency

The Associated PressNicolas Batum did little to help the Blazers during Friday's 106-92 loss at Oklahoma City. In his second game after signing a $44 million contract, he had 3 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists.

OKLAHOMA CITY _ It was a dreadful game Friday by Nicolas Batum. Three points. One rebound. Two assists. One basket in 11 attempts. Thirty-seven minutes of virtually nothing.

He had disappeared in the pile of dollar bills the Trail Blazers heaped upon him this summer. Worst yet, it was just like his critics always said: Great one night; a ghost the next.

So when Batum saw me coming to his locker after the Blazers’ 106-92 loss to Oklahoma City, he threw towel over his head and tried another disappearing act.

“You know what everyone is saying,’’ I asked open ended.

He swore in frustration underneath the towel.

“Yeah, I know,’’ he said, his words muffled. “I know.’’

“What are they saying?’’ I asked.

“They are going to say ‘Consistency,’’’ Batum said, finally ripping the towel off his face.

It was the most Batum had been on-point all night.

Players have bad nights. Happens all the time. But when it comes to Batum, this isn’t an isolated incident. It’s a trend, and has been throughout his first four seasons. Last year, he scored 33 against Denver, then followed with games of 13 and 10. He had 24 against Memphis, followed by a 9-point game against the Lakers. Six points against Dallas after 20 against the Nets. Seven against the Spurs, followed by a 29-point game against Houston.

The difference now is $44 million. That’s the stunning contract Batum signed this summer. In past years, when his capricious play would dot the stat sheet, it was easily masked. Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge or Gerald Wallace were usually there to save the day. But now that Batum makes the big money, there comes big responsibility. If he continues to fade in and out of the picture, this franchise will be crippled. I believe the term general manager Neil Olshey uses is ‘pregnant” with a contract. Think Darius Miles.

To his credit, Batum on Friday was professional and accountable. He was humble and he was honest.

“This is the worst shooting night in my life ... and when I don’t have my shot, I stop playing. It’s my biggest weakness,’’ Batum said. “I’ve got to work on that. And I have to realize the game is different this year for me. It’s not about my contract - I don’t care about that - it’s about my teammates. If I play good tonight, we win the game. That’s on me.’’

Luckily, Batum is in the right environment to grow. Not much is expected from this team, so every shot, and every performance won’t be under a microscope. And his coach, Terry Stotts, is a nurturing, and calming sort, and judging from Friday’s postgame, a patient one too. It didn’t take long for him to smell the dogs coming after Batum, so he quickly tried to divert the scent.

“After one game, I’m not going to go crazy,’’ Stotts said. “No one necessarily had a great game. We lose to the Western Conference champions on the road, in their home opener, so I’m not going to overreact to that. There has to be a body of work for me to overreact one way or the other.

“Look, everybody loved him after the LA game, and I don’t think everybody wants to pile on him now after losing a tough game on the road,’’ Stotts said. “I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t think that’s fair. Let’s get into the season. And the contract, to me, is as much for what he has done in the past as it is what he is going to do in the future. I think we have to realize he is not a finished product yet.’’

Batum said he will learn from this game. He said he was too consumed with scoring on Friday night, setting a goal of scoring between 25-to-30 points. He said he realizes that if he is not scoring he has to make an impact with either his defense, rebounding or passing. And he said he knows the critics will be throwing daggers.

“Two days ago, I was the king of the world. Tonight, I’m the worst player in the world,’’ Batum said. “That’s the NBA. If you start to pay attention to all the things around you, and what people are saying, you are done. I know I played a bad game. I know people are going to talk. Now, the thing is, I’ve grown up. I know what people are going to say. But I know I’m not going to play bad again. So this could be a good thing for me, that it happened in the second game of the year.’’

Before he reached the locker room after Friday’s game, veteran Jared Jeffries reached him. He told him that even Carmelo Anthony had bad games. LeBron James had bad games. The beauty, Jeffries told him, was that the Blazers had to wait less than 24 hours to play again. On Saturday night, the Blazers will tipoff in Houston.

“I have to move on,’’ Batum said. “I do not accept this. I am (upset), believe me. And I know people are going to talk. But I can’t control that. All I can control is what I do on the court. All I can listen to is the people in this locker room. And they came to me and said, ‘Hey, we have another one tomorrow and you will be good tomorrow.’ That’s why I love my teammates.’’

It will be another chapter in the ongoing saga of Batum in Portland. The book so far has been one of inconsistency. As Stotts staunchly defended his 23-year-old forward Friday, I told him of “The Book” on Batum.

“Well, I haven’t read ‘The Book,’’’ Stotts said with a smirk. “And I don’t know how it ends. So ... we’ll see how it goes.’’